on the outside
by niagaraweasel
Summary: One-shot about Alex after Scorpia Rising. WARNING: MILD SPOILERS. A bit of peace and quiet for Alex, and a sad realization.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Alex Rider and intend no copyright infringement. **

_**A/N: This was co-written with cedricsowner. We are developing a story that deals with Alex' future in the USA after the ending of Scorpia Rising. In that story he moves to San Francisco with the Pleasures, finds a school that's willing to take him in and actually meets a true friend. This snippet just came up, we thought we'd share… **_

"You're not working for MI6 anymore, Alex. You're a normal teenager now. Maybe it's time for you to behave like one."

Edward Pleasure's voice showed no hint of annoyance or -bad pun ahead- _displeasure_. Just concern. Alex felt himself reminded again of how grateful he should be. After all he had been through things had turned out well in the end. He had found a family… a father…

Now he needed to let go and just enjoy the ride.

Easier said than done.

A month had passed since he had left the UK for good, moved in with the Pleasures, set up camp in San Francisco. He was going to school now, regularly, with homework, tests, terribly boring history lessons… Granted, his way into the school, St. Julian's, a convent school only recently opened for boys, had been a bit more … spectacular… than he had intended, but all in all…

He had even made a friend.

Yes, Junior was a friend. They had met for the first time barely a week ago, but they were friends.

Fighting nut job hostage takers threatening to blow up the school does help establishing a bond.

"You should do something fun." Edward Pleasure interrupted Alex' train of thoughts. "Trifle away your time… be lazy… hang out with someone."

Alex' first choice would have been Sabina, but Sabina was away for a special school project… originally the Pleasures had tried to send Alex to the same school, but it was no go with the principal.

_Over my dead body._

They had heard that quite a lot in the course of the school finding process… and originally Mother Superior Ancilla of St. Julian's had been inclined to use the same approach on him, but well, they had managed to … change her mind.

Maybe Junior was interested in _hanging out_.

… … …

"I know zilch about surfing, dude…"

Junior didn't exactly sound excited.

"I'm more into ice-hockey, you know…"

"You live in California and you're telling me you prefer _ice-hockey_ to catching waves?" _Just when you thought you've heard everything_, Alex silently chuckled.

"Spent a lot of time in Russia, dude…"

There was something about the way Junior said "Russia" that told Alex there was more to the story, but now was not the time to push it. They were supposed to have fun today.

The past, in Alex' experience, was no fun.

… … …

When Junior removed his shirt at Pacifica/Lindamar, Alex noticed his massive tattoo for the first time. It was composed of odd shapes, intricately curved spirals in extremely deep black, covering his complete upper arm.

"Whoa, your dad agreed to this?"

"Didn't bother asking…"

Again there was something in the way Junior spoke that told Alex there was more to the story. He would have liked to know if the strange pattern had a meaning – he suspected it had – but (he reminded himself) today WAS ABOUT FUN.

And boy, did he have fun seeing Junior trying to pop up. Okay, he better not blink, because in the split second his eyes were closed, Junior had already taken a dive in a more or less graceful arc. Hadn't he seen him balance on nothing but a thin rope from a church tower to an open window on the fourth floor of St. Julian's main building, he'd thought him a complete klutz.

"I really prefer water when it's frozen", Junior said after about the fifteenth failed attempt. He shook his blond hair like a wet golden retriever and gave Alex a sheepish look that surely worked fantastically on girls. They headed back to the beach and sat down in the sand.

For a while none of them said a word, they just listened to the sounds of the beach… the lazy slapping of the waves, the yelling and laughing of the other surfers, occasionally cries from the seagulls circling above their heads…

The ocean was of a perfect turquoise blue.

"Somehow I'm just waiting for a fin to appear…", Junior quietly said after a while.

"Or a submarine periscope…", Alex continued.

A girl of their age walked past them, thick brown pony tail of curls whipping in the wind, wearing nothing but a barely there bikini. She was lean and well-tanned. The smile she gave the boys revealed shiny white teeth. Judging from the way she moved she was a cheerleader or something.

"That shell necklace she's wearing. Of the right material it could be used as cutting wire… very helpful in all sorts of situations…", Junior mused.

"A bobby pin or two, hidden in that hair, would be great for picking locks…", Alex said.

"The material that bikini is made of… if someone wove iridium in it, it would be extremely robust… great to slide down a cable…"

"Her sunglasses… with silicon coating they could serve as an emergency solar battery…"

The girl, not used to not getting a proper reaction on her appearance, walked off with an indignant snort, head held high.

They looked at each other, locked eyes and then sighed, almost at the same time, acknowledging that they'd probably be forever locked out of the "normal teenage world" by a wall of violence, constant danger and death.

But at least they were not alone on the outside.

_Friends…_


End file.
